It’s true, I’m a horror buff. I love scary movies and creepy TV shows. As a young child, I would sit alone in the dark watching “The Twilight Zone” and “Creature Feature.” And yes, long before zombies became hip, my favorite movie was the black & white George Romero classic, “Night of the Living Dead.”

The Darkness routinely makes the list of the top 10 best haunted houses in America. It’s been featured on numerous TV shows. And for good reason. It’s so well done, it often feels like you’ve stumbled onto a movie set or, even more frightening, a REAL, HORRIFYING HAUNTED HOUSE! Actors who pop out at your or follow you around add to the heart-pounding walk through this labyrinth of terror.

Each year, the haunted houses change it up a bit, so there’s always something new to see. Plus, at the Darkness, they’ve added zombie laser tag, a second haunted house (Silo-X) and a number of escape rooms that are very, very well done. It’s become, essentially, a horror COMPLEX.

Even the wait in line is spooky, and of course, you exit through the gift shop. But it’s not just any gift shop, it’s also the Monster Museum. Feel free to take your Christmas card photos there!

Photo courtesy of The Darkness & Scarefest.com

The horror masters of Scarefest.com, when they’re not working on changing and perfecting their St. Louis area attractions, build attractions for other organizations, including Universal Studios, Six Flags, Cedar Point, Sea World, Tampa Busch Gardens, and rides based on Spider-Man, Captain America, James Bond and Garfield the Cat.

Larry Kirchner and Jim Kelly of Scarefest.com have made such an impact on the industry that it’s brought even more business to St. Louis in the form of Transworld’s Halloween & Attractions Show. It’s the only industry trade show of its kind in the world for the haunted house industry. It is open to the public if you want to gawk. The next one is scheduled for March 2018.